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Herbicide treatment to help reforestation efforts in Park Rapids Forestry Administrative Area

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources will begin herbicide treatment on select state lands in the Park Rapids Forestry Administrative Area to improve reforestation efforts. Treatments will begin now through approximately Sept. 15 for site preparation. Six sites for about 150 acres will be treated along with some mechanical site preparation for spring tree planting.

"Herbicides will be sprayed on the ground to reduce competing woody vegetation," said Mike Lichter, Silviculture Program Lead-Park Rapids Area. "This gives the tree seedlings a better chance to grow and survive."

Herbicides will not be applied within 100 feet of any water body, following DNR herbicide application guidelines.

Signs will be posted on all herbicide treatment sites. Adjacent landowners within a quarter mile of the treatment sites will be notified.

The DNR plants trees on state lands to reforest harvested areas, provide wildlife habitat, protect watersheds and maintain healthy state forests. Part of the reforestation process involves applying herbicides to the harvested areas prior to or following tree planting. DNR foresters determine the right tree species for the site and private contractors do the actual planting.

Statewide, more than 3,000 acres of state forest lands are planted with 2.4 million seedlings and over 4,000 acres are seeded each year. This past spring in the Park Rapids Area the Division of Forestry planted 230,000 seedlings on 326 acres to a mixture red pine, jack pine, red oak and white pine.